Filler/Drain outlets for Transaxleoil

Hi Jay,

That is great pricing if the oil had to be shipped in from Japan. MSRP for a US quart bottle of Toyota ATF WS is $5.20, and this fluid appears to be produced in the US. I called several dealers in my area and noted wide pricing variations. In south OC, CA, Tustin Toyota had the best pricing so that is where I buy my 12-quart case of ATF.

 

Is the correct fluid level 4 quarts exactly for the 2008 Prius? Is there a special procedure that should be followed other than below?

Open fill plug
Open drain plug
let fluid drain
replace washers on plugs
replace drain plug and torque
add 4 quarts of WS or fluid of choice
replace fill plug and torque
Enjoy the feeling of doing it yourself, doing it right, and saving $80-$180

 

Hi Andy,

I've added some backup information about the 15% viscosity threshold the oil testing company uses to identify worn out oil. As a suggestion, I'd recommend drawing a sample at say 5-7,000 miles and having it tested to look for early, abnormal wear. Then do another sample and test at say 10-15,000 miles. It is always better to detect such changes early rather than later.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

First of all, make sure the car is on an absolutely level surface. I made a servicing ramp out of old railway ties at my hobby farm, and it took a lot of effort to make sure the top of the ramp was perfectly level.

I used a fluid transfer pump - a good one - to refill the case. The correct fluid level is when fresh fluid starts to dribble out the fill plug hole. I had around 140 ml left over in the 4 litre tin can.

So, 3.86 litres is very close to 1 US gallon, which is 3.78 litres.

A somewhat similar procedure is used to refill the FJ automatic. There is a fill plug on the side of the case, and two plugs on the pan. Note, the +2004 Prius does not have a transmission pan, only the earlier ones do.

With my FJ, one plug on the pan is the drain plug. The other plug is the overflow plug. The correct procedure is - with the motor off - put on the drain plug again and remove the overflow plug. Refill until fluid comes out the overflow plug. Start vehicle and let warm up, shift D-N-D-N, etc, put back into Park, slowly add fluid until it pees out the overflow tube.

The Prius is a lot easier to work on, isn't it?

 

I've actually been called pedantic

 

MY diy funnel and extension was made by matching cheap plastic tubing at Lowe's to inside diameter of my funnel, and adding a rubber ring around the tube to get a good seal.

 

Would a transmission fluid replacement be recommended for a rebuilt 2004 Prius with only 26k miles, but was sitting in a salvage lot for 2+ years? Can the fluid go bad by sitting? The maintenance brochure doesn't even specify to change the fluid (only check), and it goes past 120k miles.

 

The transaxle fluid should not go bad by the mere act of sitting quietly without use. However, with any used vehicle I think it is good practice to go around and change all fluids where possible because you don't know prior service history and use/abuse of said vehicle. The transaxle fluid is certainly easy and cheap enough to change when you DIY.

 

Excellent thread. I called two dealers in the Portland, Or area for quotes and both denied the prius had transaxle fluid. Couldn't believe it. We even argued about this.

These instructions are great! I'll plan on doing this in about 1- 2 weeks.
Thank you

 

Oh yeah, I want those dealers working on my vehicle

 

Called Vancouver Toyo and they fought with me about doing this and eventually told me $140.00 and that included a flush! Go-figure. I give up. I want to give them $$ for service and I get flack. I suppose auto sales are good???


I do have one question, I have read that WS fluid is moisture sensitive. Is pouring this stuff through a funnel down a tube into the case fast enough? Any need to be concerned about moisture? I do live in the pnw. It is wet country here.

-b

 

Well, if it isn't actually raining at the time that you are using the funnel, you should be OK. I am not aware that ATF WS is more moisture sensitive than other ATFs.

 

I plan on changing my fluid this weekend and I'll report back. I got 4 quarts of SuperTech Dexron VI at Walmart for $3.77/ea.

Does the car need to be level front to back, or just side to side when filling?

 

I do not think it will hurt to add 4 qt of ATF (although I am not sure about the particular Dexron VI ATF that you purchased, use of that is at your risk.)

If you want to be precise about the operation, then you can raise up the front and back so the car is level. An alternate approach is to raise up the front only, drain the old and add the new fluid, then lower the car with the fill hole still open, and see if any fluid comes out.

If so, once the rate of fluid dropping out slows down, then you can raise the car back up, install the fill plug, wipe up the mess, and declare victory.

 

It's ATF, it isn't brake fluid. Don't worry about it

 

So now we have reports of 6 dealers about this...3 of them won't do the service and the other three charging between 100 and 200 dollars for it?? So much for a simple drain and fill with 4qts of fluid, 2 washers, and less than 15 minutes of mechanic time. And they are the Toyota trained 'experts'????

The ones that didn't want to do the service that I spoke with said it is a 'lifetime' fluid...to which I replied, "I understand that, but I want the transaxel to have a LONG lifetime..a lifetime far longer than the warranty" and "would it harm the car to change the fluid?" to which the reply was "Toyota does not recommend it"

I get 'it.' They want to sell more service and more cars. But it would be so refreshing to see honesty and competence.